The stockings are hung by the chimney with care…Now you just have to decide what to put in them. Here are a few ideas.

For those times when the wine makes a leap for freedom, one thing that no wine lover should be without is Wine Away. Wine Away comes in a spray pump bottle in a variety of sizes. Does this stuff work? Let me tell you a story. At a friend’s birthday party, one of the revelers – who had just arrived I might add – swirled his glass of wine all over the birthday white girl’s skirt. The skirt was clearly ruined yes? Wine Away to the rescue. After liberal application of Wine Away, the stain was completely gone. Completely.

Okay I know what you are thinking. The skirt was fine but the woman’s children will have three heads. Believe it or not, Wine Away has a pleasant, citrus smell and does not appear to have any harsh chemicals. Of course, this smell goes better with white wine than with a red where it will completely overpower your senses and make everything smell like lemon. The bottom line is Wine Away works. However, in order for it to work you must apply it promptly after the spill. This means you must have some. Better yet, your loved one must have some. Wine Away is available at most wine stores for $8-$15.

Ever had a glass of wine and wanted to put the bottle away for another day? There are a variety of options for storing opened wine. The one that I use most frequently is a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump acts to decrease the wine’s exposure to oxygen. However, it does not eliminate the wine’s exposure to oxygen since the wine was already opened. A similar option is to use canister of inert gas to cover the surface of the wine, again reducing its exposure to oxygen. Often after using one of these methods, I put the wine in the fridge to further assist with slowing down chemical reactions.

Please note, I have had mixed experiences with each of these methods depending on the wine. Some wines have been preserved or even gotten better twenty four or forty eight hours later. However, some have not been preserved even after a short time. Overall, I would say it generally depends on how age worthy the wine is, although this does not always seem to be the case. So beware! In terms of vacuum devices, Vacu Vin makes a variety of products that will fit nicely in a stocking. These are widely available at wine and kitchen stores and cost $12-$15

Foil cutters allow you to remove the foil at the top of a wine bottle but cutting a circular piece out. This makes the wine easier to pour and also makes for a more aesthetic experience. These are inexpensive and are also available at most wine stores for $5-$7.

Foil wine pourers help with getting more wine on the glass and less wine on the floor. These are inexpensive and are reusable. There are more expensive and prettier types of pourers as well, but for me, the foil ones work just fine. These are available in most wine stores for $5.